Why should an Artist Exhibit?

We live quite an exciting life in our heads don’t we..we creative types? Our world filled with ideas, which left to ourselves, we would like to believe that no human has thought of since the start of time! The desire for acknowledgement and quest for appreciation sustain our continued and all consuming involvement in our chosen area of work.

We toil on those ideas with vigour and enthusiasm. We think, our products, be it in whatever form, may bring us glory, fame and fortune one day and feel they are absolute trash that no one will ever look at the on another. Or worse still, invite unimaginable criticism and derisive comments, if we dare show our work.

All these repercussions to imaginary situations and events occur in our minds. We are our own source of inspiration, our own admirers, our own worst critic. We are the frog that tries to climb up the wall of the well to find a new world and we are the frog that pulls ourselves down. Perceived appreciation and criticism are both our own versions of what may be very close to or very far away from the truth. Or neither. Self doubt plays out constantly.

Is my work good? Is it excellent? Is it bad? Do I possess the required skills? Does my work speak to the viewer? Is it unique? What is it that is lacking? Am I on the right track?

The truth seems to lie somewhere in-between our view of our creations and that of the viewer.

A creative person finds it very difficult, if not impossible, to allow another person to have an adverse opinion on what is essentially one’s personal voice, a private inner vision. It feels like one is handing over the power to decide our destiny to someone else. Someone who may or may not even begin to comprehend our creativity. Giving way for another’s judgement is not easy in any sphere of life.

How then is an external sane voice going to make its way in?

I paint. I trust you, the reader, will indulge me when I use a visual artist as an example to illustrate this point.

It is likely to be rare event where hordes of artwork is discovered in the hidden corners of a home - above cupboards or under cots, either when the artist is alive or after their time and hailed as the next big discovery! Even rarer will the the phenomenon when a mailman or a courier boy or cleaning staff turns out to be an art connoisseur / art collector /a gallery owner, scouring private homes incognito, in their search of the next Raja Ravi Varma or Amrita Sher Gill. How wonderful it would be if that were the case! Then all an artist would need to do is devote their life to creating. The rest of history making would happen on its own!

Sadly NO..

Destiny and / or luck may have their pre-decided roles to play. But we have to do our bit. For doesn’t even God help those who help themselves?

That an artist needs to step out into the world courageously holding her / his artwork for all to see is not new. It seems to have been the way the art world has functioned from time immemorial. History tells us that Art academies and Art Societies, individual and group art exhibitions have been held to bring art out of artist homes and studios and out into the world for every one to see and enjoy.

Artists have always needed to blow their own trumpet - even those not so musically inclined :). Today, All the above needs to be done and in addition, social media is one more channel for self promotion.

‘Can I hold a candle to the reigning contemperory artists?’

This was the dilemma faced by Rabindranath Tagore. He had wanted to paint almost his entire life. He has always felt he was not as capable as the likes of Nandalal Bose. He overcame his doubts and started to draw and paint at the ripe age of 60! He exhibited them in India and abroad. And his works are part of the National Treasure of India today. So Tagore had doubts too!

‘Am I good enough?’ That’s a mind game. Did Monet or Turner think they were good enough? Did Jamini Roy and M F Hussein know that they qualified for the global stage? Yes they did!

They thought and believed they were good enough for that moment in time and went out and showcased their work. They continued to experiment, gained proficiency and changed their style as they went on.

Have we ever heard of an artist who was completely satisfied with what she / he had created and proclaimed to the world that they had reached their zenith? No! While they never lost sight of their goal [to create their unique vision in their own unique way and to become the greatest of artists], they got their energy and zeal from the excitement of the journey. They became better later in life.

Most master artists are known and identified by the works created after decades of struggle to create their vision, and better versions of their vision. Their greatness is a conclusion arrived at most often, on hindsight. Determined and prolific, they evolved into the personas we admire today.

Believing in the power of the journey - that’s the trick! Always looking for perfection and at the same time believing we are better today than we were yesterday. And believing that every single day!

Every outing is a new starting point that can only make an artist better.

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Published in Colour Canvas issue of July 2019